My new hive ...

[pargyle]

Great hive building skills I'm well impressed.

What size wire did you use for the frames, I bought some that I thought would do from the garden centre the other day but its to thick.

0.4mm stainless steel ... bought off fleabay.. Like this item - same seller.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250g-0-4m...ing_Agriculture_Equipment&hash=item35c5bd1dae

 

[pargyle]

Well tonight I finished my next good idea. My eyesight isn't great (I wear varifocals and sometimes it's hard to see close up as you only have a small field of view that you can keep in focus) So inspecting frames is a bit of a black art for me. What I've been doing is taking digital photos so that I can view them on my laptop - at my leisure and in a lot more detail when I zoom in. However, I'm also a bit ham fisted and drop things so holding a frame with one hand and the camera in the other in a bee suit . ... well, not easy.

I've seen frame hangers that sit on the side of boxes but I figured that there was nowhere sensible I could use one like that.

So ... here's what I've made and installed this evening. Not tried it with a drawn frame yet as I didn't want to disturb the girls any more than I had so it might be next weekend before it gets used. It folds up into the roof when it's not being used and clamps there - still room for the feeder under the roof as well then.

Bees obviously like it as they weren't bothered by the drilling and screwing - I still think they are on drugs (no bee suit again for all this - they'll get me one day !).

 

[vukic]

Great idea, fingers Crossed it works for you..

Tiger

Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2

 

[Bosveldleeu]

Beautifull!

 

[Mellifera397]

Hi Pargyle,

Might I suggest a small modification to your frame holder, a thin ridge (like the runners in a brood box) to stop bees from being crushed. Recently I have found that the girls seem to hide under the lugs.

Great hive by the way!!

M

 

[psafloyd]

Hi Pargyle,

Might I suggest a small modification to your frame holder, a thin ridge (like the runners in a brood box) to stop bees from being crushed. Recently I have found that the girls seem to hide under the lugs.

Great hive by the way!!

M

One word: overengineered. But I mean that as a compliment. Things never are these days and you've combined function with form. Well done.

 

[madasafish]

Pargyle should design cars... for Sheiks who want something different (very different ) and expensive (very). And heavy (very)...

I am sure they would look beautiful..and weigh several tonnes (rather like a King Tiger tank in WW2)

Seriously... there is a niche market for over engineered stuff.....see Concorde and Abramovitch's yacht.

 

[pargyle]

One word: overengineered. But I mean that as a compliment. Things never are these days and you've combined function with form. Well done.

Thanks ... it's one of my failings - over engineering ! On this occasion it came about because I was looking for something that would hinge down when I was stood in screwfix looking through their catalogue ... the hasps and staples were only a couple of quid in total so I figured they would always come in useful if it didn't work ... the rest were bits laying around in my garage. If I carry on like this I will need Pickfords heavy haulage if I ever have to move it !!!

Hi Pargyle,

Might I suggest a small modification to your frame holder, a thin ridge (like the runners in a brood box) to stop bees from being crushed. Recently I have found that the girls seem to hide under the lugs.

Great hive by the way!!

M

Just when I'd finished ... you come up with something that is a good idea. I think it's possible if I mounted a triangular piece of wood with the point of the triangle upwards over the slot in the hoiziontal bits so the frames sit on the point of the triangle. You are right though ... the girls love to hide !

 

[Alabamaeee]

Pargyle, great design.

At the risk of the thread going OT might I suggest you at least wear a light veil for eye protection, stings in the eye are not what you want to experience.

Have fun but keep safe

 

[pargyle]

Pargyle should design cars... for Sheiks who want something different (very different ) and expensive (very). And heavy (very)...

I am sure they would look beautiful..and weigh several tonnes (rather like a King Tiger tank in WW2)

Seriously... there is a niche market for over engineered stuff.....see Concorde and Abramovitch's yacht.

Funny you should say that ... a few years ago (no ... many years ago) I had cause to design and build a small hovercraft ... as usual from junk. Now ... a good lesson to learn is that the bigger the engine the more weight ... the more weight the more air pressure you need to lift it so the bigger the volume of air you need to get it airborne so the bigger the engine you need to drive it .... Mine was undoubtedly the heaviest, best built, over engineered hovercraft ever built ... It never got off the ground, let alone moved forward ! Christopher Cockerell got it right with his two tin cans and a vacumn cleaner !!!

 

[pargyle]

Pargyle, great design.

At the risk of the thread going OT might I suggest you at least wear a light veil for eye protection, stings in the eye are not what you want to experience.

Have fun but keep safe

I wear a full bee suit, wellies and gloves if I am going to look into the hive ...or if the crown boards have to come off for any reason. Brave but not totally stoopid ... well, most of the time !! Thanks for your concern - you are absolutely correct, I am very fortunate that my girls really are very laid back but I'm not going to push their good nature to the limit !!

 

[TBRNoTB]

Funny you should say that ... a few years ago (no ... many years ago) I had cause to design and build a small hovercraft ... as usual from junk. Now ... a good lesson to learn is that the bigger the engine the more weight ... the more weight the more air pressure you need to lift it so the bigger the volume of air you need to get it airborne so the bigger the engine you need to drive it .... Mine was undoubtedly the heaviest, best built, over engineered hovercraft ever built ... It never got off the ground, let alone moved forward ! Christopher Cockerell got it right with his two tin cans and a vacumn cleaner !!!

but....do you happen to be the guy who makes those 'made to order' fancy TBH with an even fancier house name attached @ around £1500 ?

 

[pargyle]

but....do you happen to be the guy who makes those 'made to order' fancy TBH with an even fancier house name attached @ around £1500 ?

Not me sadly ... I've seen them and they are absolutely beautiful looking - I specialise in pallet wood and reclaimed/recycled bits of timber and for my own amusement mainly.... I'l take your post as a massive compliment though

This is more my style:

 

[victor meldrew]

I note you are a skilled painter!
Soz couldn't resist
VM


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[pargyle]

I note you are a skilled painter!
Soz couldn't resist
VM


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

He he he ... what you really mean is a skilled paint spiller !!! My ability to paint badly is only matched by my ability to get it everywhere except where it should be !!!

 

[pargyle]

Full inspection today ... still not using smoke or sugar water spray and despite there being a LOT more bees this time they were very well behaved. One got caught in a fold of my bee suit sleeve and let me know with a bit of a half hearted sting through the cloth. Managed to get her back airborne without leaving any of her bits behind thouugh.

There's still loads of capped brood in there and some honey as well. The frame I slipped in last week is about a third built and the two from the previous week are two thirds drawn and some stores in them. Still no sign of varroa - not a single one on the sticky sheet in the last two weeks, No queen cells (breathed a sigh of relief). Couldn't spot HM but she's there somewhere. I gave them another empty frame so they have 9No. 14 x 12 and one National with an annex on the bottom - full of brood so I left it in there. Shut them up and left them to it !

 

[ugcheleuce]

All the photographs from this thread have disappeared. Seems to be a common bug with old Beekeeping Forum threads. Do you still have the pictures hosted somewhere else?